The National tribune., 1887-03-03


parents be left 10 the Grand Army Posts or TO pr
waite benehcenceg
Towns and municipalities ought not TO bear the
unevenly distributed burden when the services oi
the soldiers rendered for the entire country
To day the whole land Is reaping the benefit Of
their sacrifice and heroic action The Government
they saved should make the proper provision.
They were willing TO sacrifice all in the hour OF
Their country peru. great and prosperous Ma
ton must not neglect them in their need.
Mr.. LOWERING, OF MASSACHUSETTS:
Mr. Speaker the gentleman from Ohio lAir.
Warner in The course of his remarks said that no
class Of citizens have more cause TO feel CRATE
out in 1861 and ls62 Mr.. Speaker the state of
Massachusetts sent out some GO odd regiments.
only dozen of which were three and nine months
men. The 5O-odd three years regiments largely
comprise the membership of its Grand Army Posts.
And 10 shown the words of the gentleman from
Ohio-how grateful they feel for the Veto send
10 the desk. 10 be read by the Clerk la my Time
letter aud telegram from the Assistant Adjutant-
General Of the Department OF Massachusetts. him
self oneR armed soldier.
The Clerk read n follows:
HEADQUARTERS DEPT or MAssAcHUsETTs.l
GRAND ARMY or THE REPUBLIC,
BosToS. Feb. -. 1857. J
DEAR SIR: send you to-day - Endorsed resolu-
tons received from Posts. IL had 10 days more
could send them from most II not all the Posts IN
J this Department VIII telegraph you the number
receive between now and "Wednesday night
lhave the honor to be. yours respectfully,
Assistant Adjutant General
4 Hon. HENRY y. LOWERING,
BosToS MASS nl:3e p M. Feb. 81 1857.
/ j have received Endorsed resolutions from Post 5
and 80 other Posts to-day, making with those sent
/ 10 You 81. A. C. MONROE
Assistant Acknowledgement.
| Hon HENRY II. LovERISG,
House Of Representatives, 10th Congress, Wash
ington.
Mr.. LOWERING. Mr. Speaker. I call attention TO
the fact that these u Posts whose voice has been
| declared within the few days which have elapsed
since the veto. represent majority OF the Ia Posts
1 IN the State of Massachusetts.
ME- WATSON, OF INDIANA.
| Mr.. Speaker, many constitutional writers and
many lawyers have always held, ever since the
foundation of our Government. that the veto power
ought TO lie limited TO objections confined to ques-
] tions growing out of the Constitution. do not
believe ia that view believe that under the Con
stitution the President has the right 60 exercise the
veto power upon the questions OF mere expedl-
ency, as he has done in this case; and believe
the Chief Executive has, within the less than two
years oi bis administration, illustrated frequently
the value OF this construction Of the constitutional
power vested in him.
Ii has been my pleasure as well as my duty, on
more than occasion to stand here and defend
him when lac has vetoed bills basng his objections
| not upon constitutional grounds. but upon mere
questions Of the eNpediency OF the legislation. L
do not say IL TO boast. but might add that perhaps
have said more in his defense in this regard than
lshRs ever been said by any other Member Of this
/ House. would be glad TO stand with him and
support his veto; would be glad to see presented
To the country on this question united Democratic
party, If my conscience and my heart would permit
| IT, am driven and impelled To take the course
have taken because, aud only because, believe II
my duty legislator 70 ask the House To pass
this bill over the objections Of the President
My friend from Wisconsin Mr.. Bragg asks me
10 reconcile with my opposition To the Presidents
veto in this my support Of his veto of the bill
providing FOR n distribution of seed in some por-
lions Of the State of Texas which he says was "A
mere charity measure. IL lac can discover any par
/ allel between the two eases. or between the two
vetoes presented by the President, then must con
Tess that he has more acumen than have. In the
one the veto was based upon constitutional
] nat IL
there was warrant in 'ihe Constitution for any
such legislation "a that under consideration. Here
no man denies. and no man viii deny-of all the
champions Of this veto, numbering among them
some Of the strongest men ia this House none have
undertaken 10 deny-the constitutional right OF
Congress TO enact this bill There is not presented
here any question of thai kind.
The President has ft 20 analyzs the bill
with very great care. except that he fails 10 call
attention in the analysis which lie makes firstly,
secondly. thirdly, fourthly and fihly 10 this pro-
vision M TINS section which insist absolutely con-
irols and puts beyond the power Of any 60 place
the construction upon II given by the President
aud those who stand arrayed with him.
That provision is this: The bill provides for such
total disability TO procure subsistence by daily labor
at Sl2 n month. and that said pension shall com
nence from the date Of filing application IN the
Pension Office. upon proof of the disability then
existing, and continue during the existence OF the
same ia the degree herein provided.
l defy any man, ] care not who he is. to
put construction on that language. taken in
connection with the whole bill. "a law ought To
he construed. and give 1t any other construction
total inability 10 secure Subsistence by manual
labor
Now, as TO the cost No man here or elsewhere.
care not where you 20, has undertaken TO give
any estimate OF the cost based upon any actual
figures ascertaincd from any official source Ex-
cepi the Committee Invalid Pensions, one
has done So IL has been assumed that IL would cost
one hundred millions. fifty millions. forty millions.
seventy millions per nnnum but no figures or facts
are given upon which the estimates nre based,
while the figures Of the Committee on Invalid PEN
sions are figures taken from official sources; taken
from facts collected by the Pension Office. They
can be relied upon a. accurate.
Why. Mr. Speaker. the President brings against
our estimate the fact that great mistake made
la the year 1915, because Mr.. Bloomfield. Of New
Jersey. said the floor of the House that but 374
persons would be benefited by a certain bill for the
benefit Of the soldiers of the Revolutionary war.
whereas n turned out that some 30 900 applied But
there can be no comparison between the two eases.
In the first place the laws entirely different.
That law. under which his estimate was made. pro-
Nldcd that soldier in reduced circumstances aud
who was IN need OF aid from his country, should be
allowed "A pension. But how was 10 allowed? Not
IA the Pension Ofico. IL was not adjudicaied as
\ pension claims nre now adjudcated. but il WAS
determined In the local courts where the applicants
lived OF course under such a condition OF affairs
there was fayoriiism. OF course the law abused
III could not have been otherwise. There no
uniformity about its execution but il admin
isiered according 10 the temper and opinion of the
people surrounding the court and necessarily there
were abuses under IL. Moreihan that the estimate
, he made 10 the House, when you come To look at
A. ana what transpired at the time made upon
, his own individual knowledge of the existence Of
some need Of that kind Of legislation and no more
This bill Ought TO pass. because il IL n mpanion
piece OF legislation with the Mexican pension bill
How? Not because II WAS passed by the same Con
r gress not because II was passed on the same day
and la ihc same way that the Mexican pension hill
was passed. Not that; but because ii contains a
provision Tor the payment of the kind OF pen
sion for the same kind Of disability that the Next
can pension bill provides only the rate Is more aud
wherever the Mexican soldier shows that lac comes
within the provisions of the bin we discuss
ing he can get the benefit Of the increase But let
, Va see what the Mexican pension hill does The
Mexican pension bis provided, ia regard To the
matter al disability. pension of s. month for
every soldier that had any disability. II made no
difference how ~ was incurred. whether IL resulted
from has own vicions habits. gross carelcSsness or
otherwise; any disability lac incurred al any time
entitled lim To get pension OF s. mouth The
Union soldier who incurred the kind Of disa-
ility during the war, the lne of duty for that
disability 10 he left 10 receive a pension Of DER
z haps but g "A mouth.
! AIN asked To state whether not the President
has ever signed petition asking that pensions
shall be granted TO all of the soldiers of the late
war for the Union OF s. a mouth Ii is impossible
for me TO read the whole Of the petitions Here is
"a petition circulated by Corydon Willard late
Chaplain OF the ith L. :. III. A, that will not un
deitae 10 read or ask to have read. but the SUBJ
sthniinl portion OF - contained ia these words:
And we ask your honorable body 10 grant
: pension of nj least s. month all honorably dis.
charged soldiers Of the Union army"
This was signed In June. 1854 aud ut thc boitom
OF The petliiOn among many names, including the
Governor Of the state Of Virginia Mr.. Cameron
, find this:
7 " ann sure the subject Of this petition g. worthy
Of ihe prompt and careful considered of
and that the fullest justice should be done To the
parties Ia whose interest this movement Is made
GRoHER CLEVELAND"